Bombastic strategy-FPS hybrid Raven Squad is set for release on the 11th of August, and to celebrate that fact Evolved Games have released a cheese-tastic movie-style trailer, which sets the scene for this unusual take on the jungle man-shoot with some troubling dialogue. There might be a top-down strategy tactics and co-op cleverness in here, but for now they’re focusing on the explosions, of which there are many. The game proper looks moderately entertaining, thanks to the way the action swings between strategy and twitch run-n-gun, so perhaps we’ll take a closer look when it hits. In the meantime, go examine the action with your eyes.

I mean, I can see what they’re going for… but it’s really just a bit too close to so many shitty action games, not to mention a bunch of things that make videogames crap – casual racism, lousy voice acting, general incoherence – that I’m worried it might actually be, you know, representative.

I was browsing imdb for examples of trashy action movies set in south america. I failed with the 1980s but did find this 2009 turkey (eg. see the ‘user comments’ section): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1208647/

I’m not really sure what made you think that the use of casual racism was meant to be satirical, or that it could really be compared to the genius Brass Eye. Perhaps in the context of the game there is a reason for it, but the trailer didn’t give much indication.

That aside, could be interesting. The mix of FPS and strategy could work out quite well, but depends how useful it turns out to be. If it is also very linear in its interpretation (think Brothers in Arms repetitive pin down while I flank) then it could get stale.

What is the engine being used? Kind of reminded me of Crysis, but the quality wasn’t great. May have been the compression on the video, or it is different engine.

The renderer looks somewhat “busy” and “dirty”, there are too much pixels everywhere doing “nothing”. It need more focus, and maybe better textures. I don’t know how the gameplay of strategy/arcade thing will work. Is hard to innovate here. Too much games tried to invent new genres… only a few really “work” enough.

The racist thing. Well… If you make a movie about Nazis killing Jew, you will add some swearing like “dirty jew” or stuff like that. So I think just fit. Is more a comentary *against* USA mercenaries than against latino people.

KG: No of course not, but I’m reminded that at the time Brass Eye annoyed a great many people who either didn’t realise it was satirical, or didn’t care. Off the top of my head, the paedophile special ;) “They don’t deserve punishment, they deserve gunishment!”

Vandelay: I believe it is satirical because it is so ridiculous, because it states at the beginning it has terrible one-liners, and because it is clearly not to be taken seriously. I could be wrong, but I hope I’m not.

However you’ve both slightly misunderstood me. Just because I think it is satire doesn’t mean I think it is *good* satire :) But conceded, once we see the entire game we’ll see if they are racist because it is ‘cool’ or racist because they’re lampooning racists.

Won ‘some’ awards at E3. He he. Cheesayyy. Is it supposed to be one of those planet terror/Death proof style trailers?

and . . please devs. Stop putting the hud towards the center of the screen. I guess you think it makes it quicker for us to glance at it when we are in the action but it just pisses us off. Is it so hard for game designers to make HUD’s totally customisable? I want to be able to move the HUD icons around like i do icons on my windows desk top and have them be automatically saved in that position.

I think the bit that needed highlighting was: Some material is just really inappropriate. Or maybe “Where are you going, amigo? We’re going to toast some burritos.” genuinely was a confusing invitation to lunch.